Oxford Borough receives funding to transform Niblock Alley
10/02/2024 03:12PM ● By Betsy Brewer BrantnerBy Betsy Brewer Brantner
Contributing Writer
Oxford Borough has been awarded an $854,356 grant through the Multimodal Transportation Fund Program, ensuring the completion of strategic improvements to Niblock Alley to support rebuilding the site in the aftermath of the devastating fire that ripped through several buildings in Oxford’s downtown in September of 2023.
On Sept. 14, 2023 Oxford experienced a devastating fire affecting an entire downtown block between South Third St. and Niblock Alley. The historic Oxford Theatre building, apartments, offices, a warehouse, and several businesses were completely lost in the four-alarm blaze. Prior to the fire, and working with its many stakeholders, the borough developed its first Comprehensive Plan, which included the reimagining of Niblock Alley to address safety issues, improve multimodal circulation, bring the roadway into municipal ownership, and turn what has been a dilapidated back alley into a safe, pedestrian-friendly destination. Now, the redevelopment of Niblock Alley will also support rebuilding of the fire site, including the return of the much-anticipated community theater. The grant also provides funds to rehabilitate the Broad Street Bridge.
With the PennDOT award, there is now $2,154,356 in grant funding secured for the Niblock project, including $1,000,000 from the Chester County Community Revitalization Program and $300,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Multimodal Transportation Fund Program.
“As important as this project is to the revitalization of our downtown, the borough is not in the financial position to fund this project,” said Kathryn Cloyd, Oxford Borough Council President. “We thank Governor Josh Shapiro, State Senator Carolyn Comitta, State Representative John Lawrence, our County Commissioners and the state and county funding agencies for investing in the Oxford community and enabling this project to move forward.”
The improvements to Niblock Alley will turn the alleyway into a well-appointed borough-owned road, with sidewalk, curbing and pedestrian streetscape elements on the building side and decorative safety fencing along the railroad embankment. A water main will be installed underneath Niblock to help support the redevelopment of adjacent buildings. Improvements to the Broad Street Bridge will address structural deterioration, pedestrian safety and aesthetic elements consistent with the new look of Niblock Alley, creating a pedestrian gateway to the downtown.
“This project is a true public/private partnership,” said Pauline Garcia-Allen, Oxford Borough Manager. “It is the property owners along Niblock Alley who funded preliminary engineering and continue to support this project. They share the larger vision for how redeveloping the alley can unlock economic potential in the downtown and reinvent Niblock as a vibrant and inviting place for pedestrians, patrons and everyone who lives in and visits Oxford.”
As the community continues to heal from the disastrous fire, plans to redevelop Niblock Alley and improve the Broad Street Bridge are now more important than ever as they will coincide with plans to rebuild the theater and a new mix of residential/retail spaces along Third Street.
This marks years of attempts by the borough to bring the roadway into municipal ownership. In the early 2000s when the borough began to work on the Comprehensive Plan, the task force at the time expressed interest in reinventing the alley.
As plans moved forward to secure the Peoples Bank parking lot, which the borough successfully accomplished, parking studies clearly showed what the possibilities could be. With the borough working with the railroad and property owners, there is an opportunity to now establish a safer Niblock Alley that will allow for more and safer parking and pedestrian safety with clearer streetscape elements. It will also make the area easier to navigate for physically challenged persons. Adding rear entrances to businesses will increase the number of businesses within the Borough, and provide more accessibility.
The properties destroyed in the fire which previously had multiple owners, now have come under one ownership which will further expand building possibilities.
The borough has accessed grants, and the support of property owners to move forward after a devastating fire and to continue the efforts to grow the Borough of Oxford into the Gateway of Chester County.